Astellas falls foul of ABPI Code of Practice

The UK subsidiary of Japanese drug major Astellas Pharma (TYO: 4503) breached Clause 2 of the ABPI Code of Practice and is the subject of advertisements in the medical, pharmaceutical and nursing press.

For organizing a meeting which was not a genuine advisory board and paying UK health professionals to attend that meeting, where cancer drug Xtandi (enzalutamide) was promoted for an unlicensed indication, Astellas Europe was ruled in breach of the following clauses of the Code:

Clause   2       -           Bringing discredit upon, and reducing confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry